World Business Briefing | Asia: Japan: Safer Battery Developed

Published: November 6, 2002

Japan's largest maker of tires, the Bridgestone Corporation, said it had developed the world's first battery electrolyte additive that renders lithium-ion batteries noncombustible. Lithium-ion batteries, used in many electronic devices including mobile phones, can catch fire at a certain point even in smaller devices that require less energy. The electrolyte additive does not hinder any of the power or capability of a battery. Shares of Bridgestone rose 6 percent after a report about the technology appeared in Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper.

Graph tracks the daily closing price of Bridgestone shares for the week.